Latest California Healthline Stories
Review of Trauma Center at King/Drew Medical Center Identifies Deficiencies in Care
Patients receive “poor to marginal” care at the Martin Luther King/Drew Medical Center trauma unit, according to a one-page executive summary by two trauma experts who analyzed the hospital, the Los Angeles Times reports.
State Submits Plan To Reform California Youth Authority, Including Some Health Services
State officials on Tuesday submitted a 22-page legal agreement to an Alameda County judge that “acknowledges broad failures of the California Youth Authority and lays the groundwork for sweeping reforms,” including the improvement of mental health care and rehabilitation programs, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Nursing Employment Increased Between 2001, 2003, Study Finds
Hospitals and other health care facilities hired about 205,000 nurses between 2001 and 2003 — potentially the largest two-year increase in nursing employment since before the launch of Medicare in 1965 — and nurses older than age 50 accounted for 63% of those hired, according to a study published on Wednesday on the Web site of the journal Health Affairs, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in his first year in office “smashed every fund-raising record” by accepting at least $26.6 million in donations, including more than $2 million from insurance and health care interests, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Oakland-based HMO Kaiser Permanente, which provides health insurance for about 3,500 San Francisco hotel workers involved in a contract negotiation dispute, agreed to continue coverage for two months if the dispute is not settled by Dec. 1, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) announced Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Kern County Program Provides Health Care for Some Children
About 2,000 Kern County children younger than age five are expected to receive health coverage under the Healthy Kids Kern County Insurance Program, the Bakersfield Californian reports.
Federal Officials Testify at Senate Hearing About Factors Behind Flu Vaccine Shortage
In testimony during a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing, FDA Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford on Tuesday said that the federal government’s regulation process and flu vaccine manufacturers’ concerns about liability have discouraged some companies from entering or staying in the vaccine market, which could have contributed to a national flu vaccine shortage this year, USA Today reports.
State Officials Call for Federal Investigation of Insurance Industry in Senate Hearing Testimony
The federal government should launch an investigation into the insurance industry to help end illegal business practices by insurance brokers and insurers, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D) said on Tuesday at a Senate Subcommittee on Financial Management, the Budget and International Security hearing, the New York Times reports.
FDA Chief Counsel Daniel Troy Resigns
FDA chief counsel Daniel Troy resigned on Tuesday, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Small Elevation in Ozone Levels Could Lead To Increase in Premature Deaths, Study Finds
Elevations in ozone levels could cause an increase in premature deaths, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Wall Street Journal reports.